Malay is a language within the Malayo-Polynesian branch of the western Austronesian language family, originally spoken by the Malay people. Today, it is the national language of Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia—where it is known as "Indonesian." Malay is also one of the four official languages of Singapore.

The version of Malay taught here is Standard Malay (Bahasa Melayu Standard), which is widely understood across Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei. Although it shares similarities with Indonesian, differences in vocabulary, pronunciation, and usage have led to a growing divergence between the two languages. Despite this, they remain largely mutually intelligible.

Malay uses the Latin alphabet, consisting of 26 letters, with a straightforward pronunciation that closely matches its spelling.

Each vowel's pronunciation is quite similar to that in English.

In Malay, the vowel "e" has two pronunciations. The first is the schwa /ə/, a more neutral and unstressed sound, similar to the "a" in "about." The second is the open "e," which sounds like the "e" in "bed."

Most instances of "e" are pronounced as a schwa.

In Malay, the "a" sound at the end of words is commonly pronounced as a schwa /ə/ in informal speech.

Malay consonants are also very easy to pronounce. Note that the letters Q, V, and X are rarely used, primarily appearing in loanwords.

Be careful with these consonants (p, t, k) that appear at the end of syllables. They are not actually pronounced; instead, they are articulated by "stopping the airflow."

The Malay "ng" is pronounced just like "ng" in English words, as in "sing."

In Malay, "ny" is similar to the Spanish "ñ," like the "ny" in "canyon" with a nasal sound.